


Night and Day

by VirginiasWolf



Series: Life Moves On [9]
Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: F/M, jealous humphrey plus panic dialing equals awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26055187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirginiasWolf/pseuds/VirginiasWolf
Summary: Why exactly is Humphrey calling Camille up in the middle of the night and how concerned should Richard feel?
Relationships: Camille Bordey/Richard Poole
Series: Life Moves On [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1456375
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	Night and Day

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place long before Humphrey becomes their neighbor, or even knows about Richard btw. I just had this plot line in mind for a while because I thought the situation would be hilarious to picture. Enjoy...and perhaps doubly enjoy the first image of this story.

Richard stands completely nude before the bathroom mirror. It isn't as if he's come in here just to look at himself in the early hours of the morning, but certain recently completed activities have led to needing to deposit the protection in the bathroom waste bin, and now seems like as good of a time as any to try to understand exactly what it is that Camille apparently finds so appealing about his body. After a moment of staring he decides that this may be far more of a challenge than he had assumed. All he sees is a pale, sweaty, aging man with stringy greying hairs clinging to a scarred chest. Experimentally he tries to turn in front of the mirror, hoping that in his profile he'll find something more desirable.

  
Instead, he is greeted by a loud groan from the other room. Instinctively he turns again, this time to look at his fiancee, assuming that she must be growing irritated with the amount of time he has denied her the ability to use his body as a source of precious warmth. 

  
Camille is not looking at him though. Instead, she is looking at what he now realizes is her buzzing phone.

  
As Richard makes his way back to the bed, he suddenly feels tiredness setting in. The only reason he had agreed to having a sex romp that lasted into the early morning hours was that Camille had convinced him they could sleep late into what is now today, which they are supposed to have off. Now he realizes a late night phone call probably implies they won't have this luxury.

  
He stands at the bedside for a second, unsure if he should just go to the closet instead, until Camille lets out an amused snort before stating, "It's DI Goodman."

  
"Who?" Richard can't help but ask, sure he's never heard this name before.

  
"Humphrey. He must have forgotten how late it is here."

  
"Ah," Richard can't help but feel a bit of sudden irrational jealousy especially now that Camille actually is answering her phone even though the man at the other end is someone with less than platonic feelings for her.

  
Before he can feel too upset, Camille turns and motions for him to rejoin her in bed. The moment he does, she immediately does two things that surprise him. First she nestles against him, and then she puts her phone on speaker as she answers it. No matter what Humphrey says to her, she wants him to hear it.

  
"Humphrey, do you know what time it is here?" Camille growls at her phone.

  
The voice at the other end sounds frazzled to the point that Richard immediately understands why Camille disliked working with him. "I'm sorry. I panic dialed you. Did I wake you?"

  
"Yes," Camille lies and Richard is about to admonish her for lying when he realizes that he certainly would be far more horrified if she had boldly declared that she had just finished having late night sex.

  
However, he is forced to make some sort of noise when she shifts and accidentally elbows him in the ribs. "Oof."

  
"You have someone with you?" the voice at the other end of the phone line asks, with more than a slight hint of jealousy.

  
"Yes. Why exactly did you panic dial me?"

  
Over the next few minutes Richard learns that Saint Marie's current DI and a much younger officer, who proves to be far more coherent and polite, have gotten themselves accidentally locked inside of a building. Instead of calling Dwayne, or the current DS, who is apparently a woman named Florence, Humphrey had dialed Camille. With a grace that surprises Richard, Camille insists the phone be handed to the younger officer and proceeds to somehow explain exactly how they get out.

  
The moment the call finishes, Camille rehooks her phone to the charger and flops back onto her pillow before sighing, "I hope I helped Florence avoid a headache."

  
-  
It is nearly noon when Camille wakes up to find Richard still asleep next to her. She'd been a little surprised when he had agreed to last night's events, but she had also loved every moment of it. Well, every moment except for the phone call that had happened after. Although she had decided to be gracious and provide instruction, she certainly hopes this was a one time incident. 

  
"He still has feelings for me," Camille can't help but mutter as she quietly retrieves a clean set of pajamas from the drawer. 

  
There was never a moment where she had seriously considered having a romantic relationship with Humphrey, but even so she can't help but shudder at the thought of how uncomfortable she assumes one would be. He isn't a cruel man, but he is clearly someone who is used to hiding behind his maleness as a reason not to be self-sufficient. She has a feeling any partner of his also has to spend her time acting as a mother. With Richard, she has never felt like a parent, just a lover.

  
That doesn't mean that she has no desire to do things for Richard though. In fact, in a way she almost feels more of a desire to randomly do so because she knows he doesn't actually have a desperate need to have things done for him, and he has also grown so used to not being pampered that even little things cause him to light up.

  
Today she decides the little thing she'll do for him is fixing brunch for both of them while he is still asleep. Just as she is about the exit the bedroom, her phone goes off again. This time Camille decides to grab it and take it downstairs with her so she can still cook while she talks.

  
A quick glance at the screen reveals that the caller is none other than her mother. "Hello, Maman," Camille states as she walks down the stairs of the flat.

  
"Humphrey said you have a boyfriend now?" Her mother offers as a greeting.

  
So this is an information gathering call. Camille is amused by this revelation but also immediately feels guilty for hiding Richard from her mother. She knows the knowledge of his survival will be met with great joy from her mother, but she also knows that he is still fairly mentally fragile, so she has wanted to spend these past few months trying to heal him before forcing him to be bombarded by others. Even so, she isn't cruel enough to keep her own mother from knowing when she has gotten married so she has decided to let it all come out after their wedding in a few weeks.

  
Right now she decides she won't dwell on any of that though. "I assume he is not happy about this news?"

  
At the other end of the line her mother laughs, "He did come into the bar pouting, but I can tell you are deflecting. You must tell me everything about this new man in your life."

  
Camille puts the phone on speaker and places it on the counter as she gathers ingredients from the fridge while answering in a way that she hopes gives away enough but not too much. "Well, he isn't new. He is someone I have known for a while now but reconnected with in Paris. Maman, he truly is the most wonderful man I have ever met and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

  
"Can I talk to this wonderful man of yours?" 

  
Camille knows she shouldn't be surprised by this question, but it also isn't something she can let her mother do if she wants the secret to stay as such for the next few weeks, and she is also sure that the very last thing Richard wants is to be woken up by a bunch of questions from her mother. "He is asleep."

  
"Hmph! Sounds like a lazy man to me."

  
"Maman! We both have today off from work, and I am sure Humphrey did not tell you that the reason he found out I am not single is that he panic dialed me when him and JP were locked inside the museum. It was past two in the morning here," after a pause she adds, "Right now I cannot tell you any more about him, but when I finally am able to say everything you will understand exactly why I kept it a secret. I have to go right now Maman, I am trying to cook brunch." Camille knows this response will probably not satisfy her mother, but she can only hope it will be enough to pacify her long enough that she will simply become overjoyed at learning that Richard is alive and her daughter has gotten married.

  
Camille had intended to awaken Richard whenever she finished cooking, but she is halfway through making pancakes when he stumbles downstairs wearing sweatpants and a tee-shirt for an American band that Camille can only remember as being dominated by men with really large beards, except for, Richard had once told her gleefully, the member who's surname is actually Beard.

  
"What are you doing?" He wipes sleep out of his eyes as he speaks.

  
"I am making us brunch. Why don't you go wait in the living room?"

  
At this suggestion Richard seems to wake up so quickly that Camille feels she should almost be offended. "Let me help." Before she can become annoyed he adds, "We will finish much quicker if we work together."

  
Richard is right, brunch does come together much quicker than it would have if Camille had worked alone. She has to admit that she also secretly loves watching her man work at the counter. Idly Camille wonders if she'll ever be able to convince him to cook for her in nothing but an apron. Probably not. The moment she dares suggest it the Inspector Poole brain will likely kick in and Richard will immediately declare her fantasy to be an unhygienic schoolgirl flight of fancy. For now she can settle for cuddling on the couch and perhaps stealing a few kisses while they eat.

  
Once they have retreated to the living room with their plates, Camille decides to drop a bombshell. "I got a call from Maman."

  
Richard freezes with a piece of breakfast sausage halfway to his mouth although he tries to sound nonchalant. "Oh?"

  
"Yes, Humphrey was upset that I am no longer single."

  
Richard bristles immediately and then almost looks worried as if he assumes that what has been said is some relationship ruining deal breaker. "I suppose she berated you for hurting him?"

  
"Of course not. However, she was upset that she had to find out from someone else that I am in a relationship, and she wanted me to tell her everything about my partner."

  
"You didn't tell her that I am...that we're..." he falters.

  
"No, but she will have to find out soon enough. She deserves to know the truth. I told her that I was with someone I had reconnected with in Paris and that he is the most wonderful man I have ever met and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

  
For a moment Richard looks thoughtful, and then he states, "I suppose she's going to be in for quite a disappointment then when she realizes who you used all those words to describe."

  
Camille lets out a slow, frustrated breath. "Richard, she does not hate you. Yes she finds you to be stubborn and defensive and far too English, but she does not hate you. Like all good mothers, she is going to be most concerned about knowing that her only daughter is with someone who makes her happy."

  
"And I make you happy?" Richard asks in a strangely hopeful voice that almost breaks Camille.

  
However, instead of allowing his doubt to hurt her she decides to reassure him. "Very happy."

**Author's Note:**

> Also should be noted that in one earlier draft Humphrey wanted to video chat so Camille could point things out...wouldn't that have been super awkward? In another, more sentimental draft the other person trapped with Humphrey was Dwayne and he kind of recognized Richard's voice. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the band on Richard's shirt. I figure they might have been in his dad's music collection.


End file.
